Return to Taupo

Thanks for the brackets. Piri is going to need them, she's been in and out of bike hospital all week. The pedal fell off threading the crank arm thingy (soooo Toucs fault, honest). So they had to order a new crank. With that installed I set off again with the shoes refusing to attach to the cleat. They couldn't get the cleat off the bottom of the shoe. So I had to get a new pair of shoes and cleats. Then on the ride back the rear tyre blew. We're on first name terms with all the staff in the shop, I think they're on the verge of inviting us back for dinner to say thanks for boosting the takings so much.

Still Toepaw is lovely and the lake stunning :0) we're burnt to a crisp, factor 20 wasn't enough it turns out so at the annual comedy tan champs I'm going in as favourite :0)

Weather isn't looking like it's playing ball, so don't get complacent and I am expectign it to be cold for the start of the bike on Saturday - you will probably need a gillet or more.

I'm getting down there on Wednesday AM and will have most of a bike workshop with me. Any bike issues then free free to drop me a line. Avanti will start gettign chaotic from mid week, although there is another great bike shop in town too - jsut a little hidden away.

I went down for a training camp 2 weeks ago. Swim - disaterous. Was the first time I'd been in westuit or open water since 8:15 2008 when I exited Lake Taupo so no surpise, but navigation was awful. My pool pace implied a 1:15ish, my actual was bang on 2 hours including several massive detours out to the middle of the lake / hitting the shore and at one point swimming 180 degrees wrong straight back towards the only person behind me.

Bike. Perfect conditions with no wind. 5:34 for full distance + a tiny bit due to not being able to use the private road. Surface is rough though, and shook the bike to bits. Shifter and one aero bar came loose, so make sure you check all the bolts and I've threadlocked all of mine.

Run. Like the new course. Not as many hills, and will be more people on course / spectating. Big thumbs up compared to the soulless far side. Runs off the bike both felt good (did 1hr 10 after the one lap on the bike on Friday, and then half an hour on the Sunday after the 181km).

I'm staying at the Chelmswood on the lakefront, just at the far side of where the bike course turns up to the north.

Hope you all enjoy both the race and some of the other things NZ has to offer. If there's anything can do to help whilst you're here let me know.

Beautiful dat in Taupo today. The lake is like a mirror. It just shows how quickly the weather changes after the ferocious winds of the last two days (which for once had nothing to do with Toucs ;0)

There was a kids tri on this morning. Road closures and everything. They really know how to do these things properly.

D74 we have been using Top Gear cycles as we didn't find Avanti until half way through las week. Would totally recommend Top Gear, they've been awesome.

Would agree with the road surfaces too. Bloody awful is an understatement. Theyve really taken the gravel the surface until you slide British approach to heart. Needless to say I've swapped the exploding race tyres with full Kevlar ones

Toucs is still storming the crib champs but I'm off to kick his arse at crazy golf soon.

Scorcher in Auckland today and I spent most of it repaying some of my friend's hospitality by helping out at her pony club one day event.

Good to hear the new run course leaves out some of the hills, thanks for that D74. My memory of the roads from 2009 was that they were actually better than many minor roads at home. Maybe that was just my brain cancelling out bad memories. Either that or 3 years deterioration of the the surfaces

Yesterday's (Saturday) ride gave the bike a good shake down on much rougher roads than previous rides out here. It also seemed to be perpetually uphill and into the wind so a really good preparation for next Saturday (eek!!)

Last long(ish) ride tomorrow - might even do a brick - then a short run on Tuesday before heading for Taupo on Wednesday. Think the holiday home we're staying at is somewhere around Two Mile Bay/Richmond Heights

Oh, and my shiny new bike helmet seems lighter and more comfortable than the old one

Some of the course isn't too bad, but 10 km south of Broadlands through to 3km to the north is real boneshaker stuff. Rest of it is just rough. No real potholes, just rough chip surface.

I'm a bit torn as to the plan for this week. Would be about done for the bike, but it's bike month in February in NZ, and I'm 40km shy of 1000km for the month, and my team of 6 (with only 2 of us with more than 1 ride for the month ) is in second place in the office competiion behing the team of 40. So I would kind of like to rack up another 100-150km before end Wednesday.....

Dunc - I'm sure you can fit in a quick 40 to reach your 1000k; that would only leave another 60-90k for the office competition. OR, kick some of your less active team members out to clock up a 20-30k's each

Another scorcher in Auckland and another 48 miles pedalled. Pretty much the same route as early last week with a couple of minor changes making it slightly longer. Average speed was better today and, despite it being hotter today, it generally felt more comfortable which is encouraging.

Tried out some locally purchased flapjack with apricot and chocolate chip for variety from gels etc. Suffice to say I'll be off out to buy the shop's entire stock later, nomnomnomnomnom

Last pool session done. Thank flip for that. Now under 8mins for the 400s, so I hope that my training camp 2 hour swim will be a worst case outcome.

Major event of packing to do tonight, not sure if I should have tapered for that..... How come we spend a fortune to get the smallest, lightest race gear, and then it takes a box van to get that stuff down to the race? I suppose the full shimano service centre bike repair kit isn't a good start.....

Latest Weather forecasts suggesting rain with headwind on the return legs for the bike, so pretty normal. Will be cold too. Friday is a northerly wind, Saturday Southerly, so it depends on when and how quick the wind changes as to what the swim will be like. Norhterly, nice and flat, southerly, will be a fair swell. But as this is 99% out of my control and will apply to all, then who cares. Prefer a headwind to a side wind as that means that I get to use my ponce wheels and at least some of the time it's a tail wind.

So if you see me around come and say hello. You'll recognise me as I'm the tallish bloke with the carbon bike and wheels. On the off chance that doesn't narrow it down enough, then I'll be wearing Oakleys and an old IM race t-shirt too......

The forecast for race day really couldn't be any worse. Heavy rain and gale force winds at the moment. Sunday has a glorious forecast so hopefully the front will come in early and blow itself out before Saturday. If not, we might need a few Hail Mary's. :0/

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